brain Flashcards
what are the four sections of the brain
cerebrum
cerebellum
hypothalamus and pituitary gland
medulla oblongata
what is the largest area of the brain
cerebrum
what is the main function of the cerebrum
higher thought process control
what does the cerebellum do
fine coordinate of movement and balance
what does the hypothalamus do
coordinates homeostatic mechanism and acts by negative feedback to maintain a constant internal environment
what does the pituitary gland do
endocrine gland
secretes hormones
what does the medulla oblongata do
coordinate autonomic responses and control physiological responses
how many cerebral hemispheres are there in the cerebrum
2 cerebral hemispheres
what connects the two cerebral hemispheres
corpus callosum
what is the cerebral cortex, what part of the brain does it belong to
outerlayer of the cerebrum, consists of nerver cell bodies
what are the higher brain functions of the cerebrum
concious thought
conscious action
emotional response
memory
intelligence and judging
what are the three areas of the cerebral cortex
motor
association
sensory areas
what does the sensory area of the cerebral cortex do
recieves action potentials from sensory receptors
what does the motor area of the cerebral cortex do
send action potential to effectors
what receptor is the cerebellum associated with
sensory receptors
they send information to the cerebellum for it to be processed.
what are some sensory receptors which supply information to the cerebellum
retina, balance organs in the ear, spindle muscle fibres (stretch receptors involved in knee jerk reflex)
examples of cerebellum coordinating muscular movement
balance when riding bike
tensing muscles to play instrument
contraction/ relaxation of antagonistic muscle in running
what does it mean if activities go under concious control
the activities have been learnt and remembered, therefore done require processing of the brain
what strengthens nervous pathways
practice
what does the pons do
connects the cerebellum and cerebrum
what role does the hypothalamus play in temperature regulation
hypothalamus detects temperature change in body or recieves input from temperature receptors in skin.
Initiate response to regulate body temperature within a narrow range
what is the term homeostasis
maintaining a constant internal environment within a narrow range by homeostatic mechanisms such as negative feedback
what role does the hypothalamus play in osmoregulation
contains osmoreceptors which monitor water potential in blood. when there is a change in water potential, initiates responses that bring about a reversal of this change. (Negative feedback)
what are the two lobes of the pituitary gland
posterior and anterior
what muscles does the medulla oblongata control
non skeletal muscle
cardiac
smooth muscle
what nervous system is controlled by the medulla oblongata
autonomic
what processes are controlled by medulla oblongata
heart rate
blood pressure
depth of breathing
what topic is closely linked to the brain
neuronal transmision
what is grey matter
cerebral cortex- outer layer of cerebral cortex
what is white matter
surrounded by grey matter (cerebral cortex).
white matter is myelinated axons of neurones
what is the benefit of the brain being highly folded
increases surface area so there is a greater number of neurones and more connection can be made-
enhances ability of brain to make complex actions.
what does the anterior lobe
produce and release hormones
what does the posterior lobe do
store and release hormones produced by hypothalamus
